....Places to go, places to eat and other stuff loosely-linked to London living...

Saturday, 18 April 2009

Walk from Isle of Purbeck Golf Club to Corfe Castle, Dorset

From a gate on the B3551, a well-marked trail takes you up through a small patch of woodland and on to a grassy ridge with far-reaching and uplifting views across the archipelago in Poole harbour on your right and lush rolling countryside on your left. The path takes you past nine grassy hillocks (ancient burial grounds or barrows) and a herd of sheep before descending down towards a mobile phone mast and the atmospheric medieval ruins of Corfe Castle beyond. The steep descent towards the castle also gives you a great view of the picturesque stone village of Corfe with its turreted church tower and, if you are lucky, the steam train puffing in and out of the local station. The round trip back to the car park just beyond the golf club is about six miles with the return leg involving some hard climbs. 8/10